1. Biography

2. Thomas Hardy (1840-1928)  Poet and novelist  Hometown: Dorset

3. Father- a master ( 熟練的 ) mason ( 石匠 ) and building contractor ( 承包商 ). Mother- tastes included Latin poets and French romances, provided for Hardy’s education. Emma Lavinia Gifford- married in 1874. Florence Emily Dugdale- married in 1914. Emma Lavinia GiffordFlorence Emily Dugdale

4. After schooling in Dorchester, Hardy was apprenticed ( 當學徒 ) to an architect( 建築師 ). He worked in an office, which specialized ( 專攻 ) in restoration ( 重建 ) of churches. At the age of 22, Hardy moved to London and started to write poems, which idealized ( 理想化地 描述 ) the rural life （鄉村生活）.

5. Unable to find a public for his poetry, Hardy turned to fiction. His first book that gained notice was Far From The Madding Crowd (1874). After its success, Hardy devoted himself entirely to writing and produced a series of novels.

6. Hardy was part of two worlds:  He had a deep emotional bond （連結） with the rural way of life which he had known as a child.  He was aware of the changes which were under way （進行中）, and the current social problems from the innovations in agriculture - he captured the epoch just before the railways （鐵 路系統） and the industrial revolution changed the English countryside - to the unfairness （不 公平） and hypocrisy of Victorian sexual behavior.

7. In 1898, Hardy published his first volume of poetry, Wessex Poems, a collection of poems written over 30 years. Most of his poems deal with themes of disappointment in love and life, and mankind's long struggle against indifference to human suffering.

8. Received degrees of honorary Doctor from the most famous universities in England: Oxford, Cambridge, Aberdeen, St Andrews, and Bristol.

10. Hardy is best remembered for the series of novels and short stories he wrote between 1871 and 1895. His novels are set in the imaginary world of Wessex, a large area of south and south-west England.

11. Tess of the D’Urbervilles 黛絲姑娘 Far From The Madding Crowd 遠離塵囂 Jude the Obscure 無名的裘德 / 絕戀

12. 反映男尊女卑的社會風氣 內容挑戰社會尺度？ 「一個純潔的女性」 (A Pure Woman: Faithfully Presented) 細膩的風景描述

14. Thank you for your listening.